Music

I met the guys at Cabaret, on Fletcher Gate, to talk about music, life, and my favourite subject, cheese:

Welcome guys! Thanks for agreeing to meet me at such short notice. Let’s get started! Where did you come up with such a name as Electric Mouth?

Josh: It was when we were recording our first demo in the studio. We were messing about with sounds but it was a bit of a mess. One of the producers said something about having an Electric Mouth.

James: He was referring to a microphone.

Josh: Electric Mouth is better than the name we had at the time, which was Gloria Jean; which sounds like a acoustic artist from Canada. I told the band that it was the name of a tiny Coffee shop I went to in Australia, but it was a chain the equivalent to Starbucks.

Now a question no band likes. How would you describe your sound?

James: I’d describe it as alternative indie rock. Josh and Will are more rooted in traditional indie music than myself. I kinda grew up listening to heavier stuff. When I came into the band our influences blended together to make our sound.

Will: It was the archetypal summer’s day.

James: Everything was good. The beer, the sun; absolutely amazing. Cat wasn’t there as she hadn’t joined yet.

Cat: It’s the best gig I like hearing about.

Worst gig?

All: Excellent!

Will: I think The Social in February [supporting The Sunshine Underground] was definitely the worst. Josh built a guitar from scratch and, up until the night, it sounded awesome. It went disastrously wrong. It didn’t stay in tune for more than one song. Oddly, they asked us back to play another gig.

Favourite song you’ve written, to date?

Josh: It’s one called ‘Let Yourself Go’. We wrote it about four weeks ago. We’ve played it a couple of times and it’s gone down pretty well.

Cat: The song came together when we were practicing at Josh’s house, known as Shinner Towers. We had it almost perfect within 10 minutes. When we are feeling a bit down we always play that song.

Josh: It’s definitely our most energetic number.

Which local bands have caught your eye recently?

Cat: Swound.

Josh: Your Awesome Intergalactic Heroes. We played with them in a Battle of the Bands a while back. We all really liked them. I like The Recovery as well.

Will: Anyone in power we can use, basically.

Everyone laughs!

Which bands do you dislike?

James: Josh hates The Darkness. I don’t like Guns N Roses. Every time Axle Rose comes on TV I get a migraine.

Will: I don’t like a lot of the stuff James listens to.

What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham?

Will: Rescue Rooms. I like it there because they have board games.

Cat: Buffet Shack, for food.

Josh: Lizard Lounge. It was good before they did the refit.

Do you have any pre-gig rituals?

Will: I disappear into the bathroom for half an hour with a newspaper.

Josh: I go and stand in a corner on my own.

James: That’s Josh’s down time.

Will: James always turning up late is a bit of a ritual.

Josh: The best ritual we do, before a gig, is to play table football.

Cat: I’m not too good at it; they never invite me to play.

James: Well, you’re a stereotypical girl.

What is your favourite cheese?

Cat: I love cheese.

James: Brie.

Cat: Everyone likes Brie. I had something a few weeks ago called Stinking Bishop. Don’t eat it with your fingers because they’ll smell really bad.

Josh: Mine’s the one they have in Sainsburys which is the cheapest.

Will: Goat’s cheese is nice.

Are you living the rock and roll dream?

Will: This is the dream. No one ever asked us any questions before. To be a student and have a band that plays lots of casual gigs around Nottingham is awesome.

Josh: Also a bottle of Jack Daniels after every set is great.

James: To have friends coming along to a gig and have them singing along is always amazing.

Electric Mouth are playing at The Horn in Hand, Talbot Street, on Friday 10th March. Pay on the door.